


You Should See The Things We Do.

by MakeTheMoon



Category: Rhett & Link
Genre: Alternate Universe, Anal Fingering, Black Mirror AU, Blow Jobs, M/M, Online Dating, Rebellion, hang the dj au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-22
Updated: 2018-01-22
Packaged: 2019-03-07 23:24:23
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,245
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13445613
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MakeTheMoon/pseuds/MakeTheMoon
Summary: Hang the DJ Rhink AU. Rhett and Link have never met and are using The System for the first time, trying to find their perfect match."Link is just about to pick up Coach again when he sees a man rounding the corner, looking to be in a rush but clearly trying to appear like he’s not in a rush. Link smiles and raises his hand, then looks down at Coach who is smiling at him as well."





	You Should See The Things We Do.

**Author's Note:**

> This is essentially a scene-for-scene Rhink version of Hang the DJ, the Black Mirror episode. I haven't changed the story line at all, the only differences are bits of their personality and some Rhett and Link specific details.

The music is calm and inviting, but doing nothing to help alleviate Link’s nerves. He straightens his tie for the third time, pulls lint off the cuff of his jacket, checks his hair in the reflection of the wine glass.  
  
He glances at his watch and picks up Coach, asking, “are you sure I’m in the right place?”   
  
“Yes - your match is running a few minutes behind.”   
  
“Okay. Okay, thank you,” Link breathes. He looks around at the other pairs and catches the eye of a man in black who seems to be watching his table intently.   
  
Link is just about to pick up Coach again when he sees a man rounding the corner, looking to be in a rush but clearly trying to appear like he’s not in a rush. Link smiles and raises his hand, then looks down at Coach who is smiling at him as well.   
  
“Hey, hey I’m really sorry, I was all the way across town and. Sorry. I’m Rhett,” says the man. The man who is towering over Link with his hand out, waiting for Link to stand and introduce himself.   
  
“Oh, I’m Link,” he says as he stands, shakes Rhett’s hand, “it’s nice to meet you, and it’s okay. I’ve been there,” he says through a self-deprecating laugh.   
  
Rhett nods once and then gestures for Link to sit, waiting to sit himself.   
  
They smile at each other, and each take deep breaths. Their food arrives before they’ve ordered anything, their Coaches telling them in tandem, “your preferences had been recorded. I hope you enjoy your meal.”   
  
Link received chicken. Just plain chicken and mashed potatoes. Rhett has… something Link has never seen before. Some type of linguini with flakes and… and maybe mussels. Those look like mussels. He feels simultaneously embarrassed about his own pre-chosen meal and a bit woozy looking at Rhett’s.   
  
They chat, make small talk. Rhett doesn’t make fun of Link’s meal, but Link feels the judgement for the first few minutes. Then Rhett cracks a joke and he feels like he’s in the clear, like his choice is okay, that maybe Rhett doesn’t _actually_ mind his bland diet.   
  
Link takes a big breath before saying, “this is your first time too?”   
  
“Oh, yes. Uh. Yes,” Rhett says around his food and a nervous chuckle.   
  
“Do you want to...?” Link prompts.   
  
Rhett’s eyes widen but he smiles and grabs for his Coach, nodding.   
  
“Okay, we have to do it at the same time,” Link says. “On three?”   
  
“One.”   
  
“Two.”   
  
Together, they say, “three,” and touch the screen on their Coach.   
  
Each Coach lights up with a big, bright green “12 HOURS.”   
  
Link nods, thinking. He’s not sure what he expected, and now that he has an answer he’s not sure what to do with it.   
  
Rhett smiles at him and says, “there’s a lot we can get up to in 12 hours. We’ll have to make the most of it.” It’s sweet. Not a come on. “We just need to eat fast, that’s all.”   
  
So they do, they scarf down the rest of their food and rush out of the restaurant, the man in black having long forgotten about Link and his table.   
  
There’s a car waiting for them outside of The Hub, and they step inside. It takes them to their house for the night, past the pond and a dozen other identical houses, past the wall at the edge of town. The house looks like a log cabin, small and neat, the number 999 lit up bright above the door.   
  
Rhett unlocks it with his hand print and lets Link in first, hand on the small of his back to lead him through. It’s nice, inside. Small but spacious. They take a look around at the fireplace and the bright yellow couches, find the bathroom and its tub and separate shower, and finally the bedroom. Link looks to Rhett who clears his throat and says, “hey, I’ve got use the washroom. Be back in a minute.”   
  
Link makes his way to the bed and spreads a hand over it, then looks out the window to the small forest separating their house from the neighbours. The moon is bright, causing the stars to dim but he can still see them, can still pick out a couple constellations.   
  
Rhett comes out of the bathroom and sits on the couch, so Link makes his way to the bedroom door and leans against it, looking out at him, arms crossed.   
  
“I can sleep here,” Rhett says, patting the cushion next to him.   
  
“You’re huge, are you kidding? You can take the bed, my goodness.” Link laughs a little, knows he’s probably too big for the couch too but at least he can make it work.   
  
Rhett’s squirming around and tucking his legs in before Link can say much else, and he says, “no, see. This is fine. Super comfy.”   
  
His head is squished into the arm and his legs are hanging off at the knees even with his legs cramped up around him. His hands are also hanging off the side.   
  
“You’re ridiculous. Come in here,” Link nods his head toward the bedroom, “you’ll be much more comfortable on the bed, look how big it is. I guess the System knows so it puts you in houses with larger beds. Probably.”   
  
Link sits on the edge of the bed farthest from the door and pats the other side. Rhett saunters over, swinging his hips exaggeratedly and plopping down on the bed as well. He pick up his Coach and shows it to Link. 8 hours left.   
  
The window is open allowing in a breeze and fresh air, the curtains billowing to no rhythm. Rhett leans back and lays down, head on his pillow, so Link follows. They watch the ceiling, wait for something to happen, but Link starts to fall asleep.   
  
He feels Rhett shuffle, sees his head turn out of the corner of his eye. Rhett curls his fingers around Link’s hand that’s sitting between them on the bed and Link feels comfortable. Feels like this is right, but it can’t be because they only had 12 hours. If this is what the system is going to do to him, to them, then-   
  
“Goodnight, Link,” Rhett says softly, sounding sleepy himself.   
  
“‘Night, Rhett.”   
  
  
  
They wake up with 30 minutes left. Link wants to do something, change into a fresh set of clothes maybe but he hadn’t taken any. So instead he uses the new toothbrush that’s sitting in the bathroom and makes a coffee in a paper cup, tightening the lid to take with him.   
  
They don’t talk, really, for the 30 minutes. Not until their Coaches are counting down from 30 seconds do they finally say something.   
  
“This was nice. I’m glad you were my first,” Link says, flushing at his phrasing.   
  
Rhett huffs a small laugh and says, “I’m glad you were my first, too.” He glances at his Coach as they see the cars coming from opposite directions. “I guess this is it, then. I hope I’ll see you around.”   
  
The cars beep once, loudly. Link offers his hand for a shake, but Rhett pulls him into a hug, arms tight around his shoulders, a soft sigh into his hair.   
  
The cars take them back in opposite directions.   
  
  
\---------------------------------------   
  
Even though it’s only his second time using the System, Rhett isn’t nearly as nervous about this match up. He misses Link, but he has faith in the System. It works for everyone else, so why wouldn’t it work for him?   
  
The woman who turns the corner at the restaurant has to be a mistake, he thinks. She’s absolutely stunning, long dark hair curled perfectly around her shoulders. She smiles at him and sticks her hand out to shake his. “Natalie,” she says.   
  
“Rhett, nice to meet you,” he moves to pull her chair out for her but gets a playful scoff instead of a thanks.   
  
“I mean, thank you I guess but don’t - you don’t have to do any of that. I get it, chivalry and all, but don’t worry about it.” It’s not meant to be mean, he thinks, as she stammers over her words and sits herself down.   
  
Their food comes right away and it’s the same dish. Rhett thinks about all the food they could make for each other, something he didn’t think about when Link’s chicken had been set at the table. They start to eat when they get the idea at the same time and take out their Coaches.   
  
“You ready?” Natalie asks.   
  
“Yeah. Three, two, one,” he counts down and they each press their screens together.   
  
“Wow. 9 months,” Natalie says, large smile spreading across her face.   
  
“Yeah, wow, that’s. Sorry, this is only my second time and the first was- was much shorter,” Rhett’s laugh is nervous and he tries to cover it by clearing his throat.   
  
It’s obviously not working, because Natalie places her hand on his and says, “it’s alright. You’re my fifth, so don’t worry about me. I’ve kind of got it figured out,” she says, winking at him. “I’ll help you along.”   
  
  
  
They get to their house in a couple hours, finding that they have a lot in common along the way. It’s easy to tell why the System matched them, and Rhett’s already beginning to wonder what could possibly be wrong with this relationship. They seem perfect for each other.   
  
He’s sitting on the couch when she emerges from the bathroom, hair in a ponytail and wearing nothing by a towel.   
  
“I find that having sex straight away tends to help - relieves the tension, leaves nothing to the imagination,” she says. She picks up her Coach from the side table, and Rhett can feel his heart beating hard in his chest. “So, I’m consenting to everything now, and whenever you feel ready-”   
  
“Ready, I’m ready,” he says as he grabs his own Coach and swipes his finger along it. He makes his way to her quickly, and backs her into their bedroom, kicking the door closed behind him.   
  
  
\----------------------------------------   
  
Link’s late, and he hates being late, and it’s only his second time so he still doesn’t have the hang of this at all. He feels out of sorts as he runs up to the door of The Hub and throws it open, doesn’t know who he’s looking for (never knows who he’s looking for, it seems, his Coach telling him that for safety she can’t reveal the person’s identity until they’ve mutually and willingly introduced themselves).   
  
He turns the corner and notices the same man in black watching him as he looks around the room looking for a lone person at a large table. He catches sight of a handsome guy eating alone, and Link curses under his breath. He doesn’t look happy, and he hadn’t even waited for Link to arrive to get his food.   
  
Link straightens up and fixes his clothes as he walks up to the table and extends his hand. “Hi, I’m Link, and I’m really sorry for being late. I’m not usually, I promise,” he chuckles and holds his hand to his heart. He gets no laugh in return, and his hand is left hanging. “I just. I had to get changed.”   
  
“Really?” the guy says as he looks him up and down, “alright, well, sit. I’m James.”   
  
“Hi James. Again, I’m sorry. I hope I can make it up to you. We’ll do something fun if we have enough time,” Link tries, hoping it’s another short relationship. He can’t imagine the System would have his second time be much longer than the first.   
  
James must be thinking the same thing as he grabs for his Coach and looks at Link expectantly. Link takes out his Coach as well and together they tap their screens.   
  
365 days.   
  
Link taps it again to show the days, hours, minutes, seconds tick by. He clears his throat and looks up, finds James looking at him with disappointment. 365 days seems like a long time, but for the life of him Link can’t get a grasp on how long it’s felt in the past.   
  
They finish their food and make their way to their house, go to bed without talking, and fall asleep.   


  
  
Link wakes up and quickly gets dressed in his running clothes and jogs to the pond. He sits in the grass on the hill and breathes deeply, inhaling the fresh warm air and letting the soft waves lull him into relaxation, as much of it as he can manage. He’s holding his Coach in his hands and he hesitates. She speaks first.   
  
“You can ask me any question and I will answer to the best of my ability.”   
  
“I know, I know,” he sighs. “So there’s… no way to terminate a relationship prematurely?”   
  
“No. Each person is matched with someone who shares a particular percentage of interests and morals. Each relationship is meant to add to your profile so that each future pairing is a better match.”   
  
“But. What happens if we just… stop seeing each other?”   
  
There’s silence from his Coach, her lights dimming back to standby mode. She’s not listening.   
  
  
\----------------------------------   
  
Every Pairing Day has beautiful weather and Link has never felt suspicious of that fact before today. He looks around to see everybody smiling and laughing, hugging old friends, eating good food. The sky is clear, a perfect blue, and there’s no wind to be noticed, the pond flat and calm.   
  
James is off talking to a friend so Link hangs back by the tables and eats, picking out cupcake after cupcake, eventually changing to the fruit tray to make himself feel better about it.   
  
He thinks he sees a familiar tall, blond head on the other side of a column so he grabs a cupcake and weaves through the crowd who have started dancing. When he reaches Rhett, he notices that he’s with a woman, laughing, their arms around each other. Link feels his smile falter but he picks it back up and taps Rhett’s arm, offering the cupcake as he turns around.   
  
“Link!” Rhett says brightly, “hey man, how are you doing?”   
  
“I’m good, yeah, things are going… well,” he squints his eyes at himself for being so transparent, but it earns him a loud laugh from Rhett.   
  
“Aw, it’ll get better. Oh, here, this is Natalie. Natalie, Link. He’s a previous match of mine, a very short one,” he says, pinching his thumb and forefinger together. Link’s sure he’s imagining the sadness in his voice.   
  
Shortly, their friends get up to the microphone and praise the System, preaching to have faith in it. It works for everyone, eventually, and you may have to get through some tough times before finding your perfect match, but you’ll get there.   
  
Natalie leads Rhett away again to talk to more friends, so Link finds James so they can head home. He’s happy that Rhett is happy. He just wishes he was happy himself.   
  
  
  
\------------------------------------   
  
Rhett’s miserable. He’s reading one of his favourite books, but all he can hear is Natalie chewing her fingernails next to him in bed, and he’s miserable. The sex had been great but the rest… the rest had been a boring nightmare.   
  
The months had dragged on, feeling like they were slowing down the longer into the relationship they got, but by the time their last 24 hours came about Rhett couldn’t remember much of what happened. It had all been a blur and seemed to have passed in no time.   
  
In the morning they get washed up, get dressed in their best, and head out the door. They wait for the countdown and when it finally hits zero Natalie leans in and hugs him.   
  
“I know this wasn’t an amazing nine months, but I like you. And I hope this helped you learn something. Stay in touch, alright? And try to enjoy the System!”   
  
She kisses him on the cheek and practically skips to her car, being carried off to The Hub.   
  
He’s making his way there himself when his Coach gets his attention, telling him there’s another match.   
  
“Fuck, already? I’m not exactly in the mood to meet someone new right now, Coach. Can’t I just lay low for a little bit?”   
  
“I’m sorry, you must meet your new match in 2 hours, at The-”   
  
“The Hub, I know, like always,” he cuts her off, continuing to mumble, “it’s where everybody goes all the time, it’s the only thing to do in this place.”   
  
  
  
His next few months are spent hopping from short relationship to short relationship. He’s rolling out of bed next to a guy he can’t remember the name of, their time being up about three minutes ago, when his Coach let’s him know there’s another match waiting.   
  
He almost throws her across the room.   
  
  
  
\-----------------------------------   
  
Link’s eyes light up when he sees Rhett walking around the corner alone, holding his Coach. He stands and walks toward him, arms outstretched, and when Rhett notices him he beams back, walking a little faster until they’re in each other’s arms.   
  
“Oh my god, I can’t believe it!” Link says into the fabric of Rhett’s suit jacket. “I didn’t think we’d get matched with the same person more than once.”   
  
“Me either. Man, how have you been?”   
  
“It’s been horrible. It just ended yesterday and I almost cried when Coach told me I had another match. I’ve had no time to decompress. Rhett, you wouldn’t believe how miserable he was. Honestly, I have no idea how we were ever paired, he didn’t match any of the preferences I had set. I really don’t know where he came from.” Link laughs low, insincere, and realises that as he was talking their food had been delivered.   
  
Link reaches for his Coach, taps the screen to wake her up, when Rhett’s hand shoots out and touches his, lightly. “I’m thinking. I’m thinking maybe we _don’t_ look at our expiration? Just this once?”   
  
“Oh,” Link says, and in a flash he imagines the days he counted down, the hours he spent touching his Coaches screen and watching the seconds, and Rhett’s idea sounds pretty good to him. “You know what? That sounds great, Rhett.”   
  
  
  
They get three weeks together before they start to feel at ease, every morning of those three weeks each of them checking their Coach and sighing in relief.   
  
Nearly every day they walk to the park, sit under the gazebo, skip rocks on the pond.   
  
Link is watching Rhett skip rocks and mumble to himself when Rhett startles him out of his trance, saying more loudly, “the trees all look the same.”   
  
“Hmm?”   
  
“The trees, have you ever noticed? Every maple tree looks like every other maple tree. Maybe some are bigger than others, but then those bigger ones all look exactly like the other bigger ones. And every little flower. Like, look at this flower,” he walks up to Link and points a wildflower in his face, pointing to a broken petal. “See that? Now you pick up a flower that’s the same colour as this.”   
  
Link raises an eyebrow at him, but does as he’s told, sighing and looking around for a similar purple flower. He picks the first one he sees and brings it back to Rhett, and Rhett grabs it from him. “A-ha! See? Look, that’s the same ripped petal.”   
  
It _is_ the same ripped petal. Link tries to come up with an explanation for that, but he can’t. He shrugs his shoulders, and Rhett drops the conversation for the time being, but Link can see the concern still lingering in his eyes.   
  
  
  
Another three weeks later and Link picks some flowers while he’s out, comparing them to each other. Sure enough, all the purple flowers have the same ripped petal, and all the yellow flowers have the same leaf pattern. He makes a bouquet out of them and brings it to Rhett, feels bad for picking them.   
  
Rhett’s in the kitchen of their house about to start making dinner. Link sidles up behind him and wraps his arms around Rhett’s front, clasping his hands together just above Rhett’s belt. He kisses along Rhett’s shoulder blades and up his spine to his hair, turning him around and finally kissing him for real.   
  
The difference in the sex he has with Rhett and the sex he had with James is astounding. Where James told him what to do or got bored, Rhett spends all his time making sure Link feels good. He let’s Link go at his own pace, which varies day to day. There’s something there that wasn’t with James, a spark, or just a feeling.   
  
Rhett’s hand glides to his own jeans and slides them down and off, then gets to work on Link’s, only getting them to mid-thigh. He shuffles Rhett around until he’s facing the sink again and palms Rhett’s ass with both hands, spreading him open as he drops to his knees and snakes a hand around to Rhett’s front, feeling his cock growing harder while he bites the flesh above Rhett’s boxers.   
  
At the first feeling of a damp patch at the head of Rhett’s cock, he pulls down his boxers and spreads him open again, this time lapping at the skin and working closer to the center, closer to where he knows Rhett wants him. Before he makes contact he wets two fingers with his own mouth, sucking and allowing his saliva to drip down between them. Rhett’s shudder and high whine when Link’s tongue touches him sets Link on edge, feels his own cock throbbing between his legs.   
  
He works his tongue around the hole and slowly pushes in a finger, licking around the ring as he slides it in and crooks it. He’s gripping Rhett’s thigh more to keep himself in check than to help keep Rhett in place, so he loosens his grip there and starts rubbing his fingers into the skin of his lower abdomen, playing through the light hair and teasing along the sides of his cock, tickling.   
  
Rhett kicks and whines, but laughs. Link cranes his neck and catches Rhett white-knuckling at the edge of the counter, head hanging low in front of him, legs spread as far as he comfortably can. He ghosts his fingers along Rhett’s cock and when he grips him wholly, his own cock begins to leak just at the feel of the weight of Rhett in his hand.   
  
He thinks Rhett has to be the one.   
  
He’s got two fingers buried deep inside Rhett and his other hand stroking him slowly, and when he dips his tongue back into his hole alongside his fingers Rhett comes with a short shout and trembling legs.   
  
Rhett turns and sinks to the floor with Link and pushes him backwards, kneeling in front of him and wasting no time in getting his mouth around Link. Link had wanted to fuck him against the counter, had wanted so desperately to push inside Rhett with his own pants still around his thighs and see the marks form on Rhett’s legs, but Rhett’s plan was also good. He would never turn down Rhett sucking him off, not here in the kitchen like he just can’t wait to swallow him whole.   
  
And he does, Link feels himself hit the back of Rhett’s throat and then further. He leans back on his elbows, legs stretched out in front of him with Rhett between them, pulling off for a moment and using his hand to jerk him as he licks and sucks at the head of his cock, then dipping back down and using his throat to work him over.   
  
“Rhett, Rhett, I’m-” he pulls on Rhett’s hair but Rhett doesn’t move so he lets him, encourages him, “that’s it, baby. You know I love it when you do that, you’re so good at it, god don’t stop.” His hips lift, bucking into Rhett’s face, his cock pushing further into his mouth and the extra heat and pressure builds to his orgasm as he comes down Rhett’s throat.   
  
Rhett’s not able to swallow all of it, some of it dripping out between his lips, so Link catches it with his thumb. Rhett takes a few breaths before lapping at the mess on Link’s hand, sucking on his thumb, then climbing up on top of him and kissing him, hard, hands in his hair and pushing him back onto the floor.   
  
Rhett has to be the one.   
  
  
  
Link wakes up at 4:00am and can’t get back to sleep. All he can think about is how much longer he has with Rhett. He’s still not completely sure how the System works - how long does it take to find the one? He’s pretty sure it doesn’t match you up with someone without telling you they’re the one, and after only two other pairings he knows Rhett can’t be his perfect partner.   
  
But he is, and Link can’t live not knowing how long he has with him.   
  
So he gets out of bed and makes his way outside. It’s a beautiful night, but when is it not? The moon is bright and the trees are blowing softly in the warm breeze.   
  
“Coach, how do you know?”   
  
“I’m sorry, I don’t understand. How do I know what?”   
  
“How do you know who’s the one? What if I think I’ve found the one but the System disagrees? What happens next?”   
  
“The System will pair you with your perfect match when the time is right. Have faith in the System, Link.”   
  
“Yeah yeah. Can I -” he takes a deep breath, “can I find out? How long I’ve got?”   
  
“Do you want to override the mutual setting? Your partner will not be notified.”   
  
He needs to know. “Yes. Please override it. I need to know, Coach.”   
  
“Okay. Please place your fingerprint on the screen for three seconds.”   
  
He holds his breath and watches the rings light up around the outside of the Coach.   
  
She doesn’t speak, but her lights are bright when she shows “5 YEARS” in big green type. Link breathes out and finds himself shaking, not sure if he should be happy or upset. Five years is a long time to spend with the one, only to know it’s going to end.   
  
“Recalibrating.”   
  
“What?”   
  
“Recalibrating. 3 years.”   
  
“No. No, what are you doing?”   
  
“Recalibrating. 18 months.”   
  
“Coach. What’s going on?”   
  
“One-sided knowledge of the System and Expiry Date causes unbalance and disruption to the System.”   
  
“Put it back, Coach. Stop! Please stop!”   
  
“12 months. Recalibrating. Recalibrating. 3 months.”   
  
It stops, the light dimming, and Link’s heart is pounding in his chest, tears prickling at the corners of his eyes.   
  
“Recalibrating.”   
  
“No!”   
  
“12 hours.”   
  
“Fuck. No, Coach, come on. Is there any way I can put it back? Please?”   
  
Its lights are off. It’s not listening.   
  
  
  
\---------------------------------------   
  
Rhett knows something’s up as soon as he wakes up and Link is already out of bed. When he needs to be up he’s up, but when he’s got nowhere to be he can sleep for days.   
  
Their plan is to go down to the pond and then go out to The Hub and do some shopping, get something to eat.   
  
Link is quiet all day and it takes everything in Rhett not to nag him, not to poke and prod, knows that all that does is push Link deeper into himself.   
  
“Seriously though, look. 1, 2, 3, 4.” He’s skipping rocks and grabs onto Link’s arm, pulls him closer. “Count them.”   
  
“1, 2, 3, 4. Okay?”   
  
“It’s always 4. Isn’t that a bit weird?”   
  
Link nods but stays quiet. Rhett pulls him to him, kissing his shoulder and neck. “I know something’s up. Just. When you’re ready, let me know. Alright?”   
  
The look on Link’s face when they pull apart breaks his heart and he’s not sure why. It’s sadness and anger and fatigue, and Rhett has no idea why any of them are there.   
  
  
  
  
People are watching them as they walk up to and into The Hub. People look at them on a fairly regular basis - Rhett likes to think it’s because they’re the most attractive couple anyone has ever seen - but this is different. This is everyone, and the music seems quieter. And there’s a man in black keeping a very close eye on them.   
  
“Where do you want to eat? We could just go to the restaurant like always, or we could get something to bring back and cook, maybe. Probably just easier to stay here-”   
  
“It doesn’t matter, Rhett,” Link cuts him off. “None of it matters, don’t you get it?   
  
“Sorry?”   
  
“Just - look around. None of these couples are perfect pairs. And where did that one couple go, from that one Pairing Day that we both attended? It’s like this town is just full of passers-by, I don’t know how you can enjoy this.”   
  
“Link, what are you saying? Where is this coming from?”   
  
He turns around and sees that Link has fallen behind, has stopped in the middle of The Hub, looking lost. His face is red and his eyes are wet and he looks like he hasn’t slept. He takes a deep breath before he says, quietly, “I looked.”   
  
“I’m sorry, you what?”   
  
“I looked, Rhett. I checked our expiration.”   
  
“But - we agreed.”   
  
“Yes, clearly, I know that we _agreed_ , but I fucked up and did it anyway.”   
  
Rhett glances at the man in black who’s got his eye trained on them now with his hand on his hip. Other people have stopped moving and are watching them as well. Rhett doesn’t want to blow up, not here.   
  
“Okay, so what? What did you find?”   
  
“5 years.”   
  
“Oh. Well. That’s not so bad. That’s a long time, baby, we can do so much with that.” He’s relieved, but Link stiffens and causes the hairs on Rhett’s arms to stand on end.   
  
“Mhmm. And because I looked, it went all crazy and then it was 12 hours. And that was-” he looks at his watch, “11 hours ago.”   
  
“Oh for fuck’s sake, are you kidding me? Link, we agreed! You didn’t know what looking by yourself would do but you did it anyway? You couldn’t have just talked to me? We could have looked together if you really wanted to know.” He’s shouting but trying to tamp down on his anger and the overwhelming numbness clouding the rest of his senses.   
  
“I didn’t know what to do. I couldn’t sleep. It keeps me awake, not knowing, this stupid fucking System,” Link says, pulling out his Coach and gripping it tightly in the air. The man in black has brandished his taser by now and is slowly walking towards them. It makes Rhett angrier.   
  
“Then fuck you, Link. Everyone here is dealing with the same thing, and we had something _so good_ and you had to ruin it by knowing everything about it.” Rhett turns and walks away, sees Link’s arm reach for him before he’s completely turned around, notices the people who are stopped to watch them and the man in black who’s stopped walking towards them now that Rhett is walking away.   
  
  
  
\--------------------------------   
  
Rhett’s been paired with seven people since Link, and he hasn’t seen Link at one single Pairing Day. It’s like he doesn’t exist.   
  
The air conditioning at the court is perfect, as always, as Rhett blows off steam with a basketball by himself. He has the whole court to himself and resorts to trick shots to keep his mind occupied. He’s just starting to break a sweat, just hears the air conditioning kick in again, when his Coach pipes up from his bag along the side, “Congratulations! Your perfect partner has been found. Your Pairing Day is tomorrow, the ceremony will take place at the park. You have the opportunity to say goodbye to one previous match, who do y-”   
  
“Link. Link, please, Link.”   
  
“Okay. You’re scheduled to meet ‘Link’ at 7:00pm at the usual spot at The Hub.”   
  
His Coach is glowing brightly when he bends to pick it up, the word “Congratulations” written boldly across the front. It appears to be locked that way, evident that it’s the last thing it’s meant to say.   
  
He throws the tablet across the room into the basket, watches it fall toward the floor, holds his breath and smiles as it smashes onto the perfectly waxed floor and shatters.   
  
  
\----------------------------------   
  
The men in black are already poised to strike when Rhett rushes into The Hub and makes his way to Link. They keep their eyes on him as he explains, “I love you, Link. I do. I think you have to be the one, but apparently my Pairing Day is tomorrow, but, listen-”   
  
“Rhett, god, I love you too, I just got paired with someone else. I’m supposed to meet them in, what, an hour?”   
  
“Yes, in one hour you will meet your new match at The Hub,” his Coach answers.   
  
“Wait, no, listen. Link. The skipping, the rock skipping. It skips four times every time, right? Isn’t that weird? And the wall? What even is that about?” Link is trying to speak in between, but Rhett continues, needs to get his point across. “These guys, with the tasers. And just think, just remember before. What do you _do_ ? What is your job? Do you even remember anything from before we met?”   
  
Link’s face falls, mouth open and eyes wide as he looks around. The restaurant has come to a halt, all of the patrons watching them, almost frozen, and two men in black are creeping closer to them.   
  
“It’s a test. This is a test. We need to rebel, that’s the final test for a perfect pair. We need to get out of here.”   
  
“I don’t think I understand. How do we get out?”   
  
“Come with me.”   
  
Rhett grabs him harshly by the hand and tugs him toward the door, the men in black stepping closer, tasers up and armed.   
  
Link’s breath catches in his throat behind Rhett as Rhett stands tall in front of one of the men. He’s taller than them, taller than everyone else in The Hub, but these guys are bigger, stronger than he is.   
  
Rhett raises his hand, palm out, and slowly pushes it forward into the taser. His skin touches the pulsing and everything stops - the noises, the movement, the tasers. It’s like the world has frozen - it has.   
  
Rhett looks to Link behind him who’s turning in circles, confused, looking at the people in the restaurant frozen in place like statues.   
  
“We need to get to the wall, come on.”   
  
The grass underfoot is dewy, the night sky full of stars but they aren’t twinkling, and the trees are no longer swaying in the light breeze - there is no breeze for them to sway in.   
  
They make it to the edge of town, to the wall, and walk along it until they find the ladder. Rhett pulls Link to him quickly, kisses the top of his head, then pats him on the shoulder and gestures to the top.   
  
The top of the wall isn’t visible, too far away, blending into the darkness. As they climb it doesn’t feel like it gets any closer. Rhett looks down and they’ve clearly climbed, they must be four storeys up, but they’re nowhere near the top.   
  
As he’s about to turn back to his climb, turn back to Link, the lights of the town start to flicker and die, one by one, in a line toward the wall.   
  
“Link. Look.”   
  
Link looks behind him as well and they watch as the town is thrown into darkness, disappearing into a grid. They aren’t paying attention but they notice at the same time that they’re no longer holding onto anything and turn back to the wall.   
  
Its disappeared as well, leaving them in an open, rounded, gridded room full of couples with numbers above their heads.   
  
Rhett looks up to see the number 998 above his and Link’s head when Link nudges him and points, says, “they’re us, Rhett. They’re all us.”   
  
They watch as each couple is plucked up and into a central circle in the middle of the ceiling, feeling themselves float along with them. The large number climbs and climbs until it’s, displaying “1000 Simulations/998 Rebellions,” and all the couples have been deposited into the circle. It changes again, to 99.8%, and then the room is flooded in darkness.   
  
  
\-----------------------------------------------   
  
_In the middle of the night, in my dreams_   
  
Rhett smiles at his phone as he gets jostled around the party, flicking through the app after it showed him his apparent 99.8% match. He swipes around the guy’s profile, not seeing anything immediately similar to his own interests but liking the sweet face in his photos, liking his self-deprecating description.   
  
He looks around for the newly familiar face and spots him sitting at the makeshift bar with a beer in his hand, wringing the fingers of his other hand on top of the table.   
  
_I know I’m gonna be with you_   
  
The guy, Link, looks up and meets his eye, small smile growing into a proper grin, beaming like the sun directly at Rhett, and Rhett almost feels like he should look away. Instead, he takes a step forward, takes a deep breath, and has faith in the algorithm.   
  
_So I take my time,_ _  
_ _Are you ready for it?_


End file.
